Car-door



N0- 52|-, 7U-, Patented Mar. I4, I899. l. N. GRAHAM.

OAR noon;

(Application filed Dec. 2, 1898.) '(No Model.) 2 Sheets-5heet I.

No. 62l,070. v Pat'nted Mar. l4, I899. I. N. GIWWANL- i" OAR noon. Application filed. Dec. 2, 1898.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC N. GRAHAM, OF DEERFIELD, VIRGINIA.

CAR-DOOR.

- SPEGIIEIOA'IION forming part of Letters Patent No. 621,070, dated March 14, 1899.

Application filed December 2,1898. Serial No. 698,071. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ISAAC N.GRAHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Deerfield, in the county'of Augusta and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Doors; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention has relation to car-doors, and more particularly to doors for cattle-cars.

The object of the invention is to provide a door which may be slid away from its opening in the usual manner and which may be lowered in a horizontal position to extend over to an adjacent car on an opposite track and be converted into a gang-plank, whereby cattle may be transferred from the car of one train to the car of another train.

With this object in View the invention consists in certain features of construction and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a car embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view showing the door lowered to a horizontal position to form a gang-plank. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the door, showing the position of the gang-plank sides when folded. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the door-hanger. I

In the drawings, 1 denotes so much of the body of the cattle-car as is necessary to illustrate my invention. 2 denotes the doorway, 3 the sill, and 4: the top piece, which are extended laterally and which are provided with grooves 6 to form the guideways for the doorhanger.

7 denotes the door-hanger adapted to slide in said grooves. This hanger consists of the part 8, having laterally-projecting arms, between which is pivoted a frame 10, to which the door 11 is secured by staples 12, passing through apertures 13 in the arms, and bolts 14, inserted through the staples.

15 denotes a link pivoted tothe door and having an eye 16 at its end adapted to engage the staple 17, which provides means for sealing the door when closed.

When it is desired to simply open the door, the link is disengaged from its staple and the door is slid to one side away from its opening. To provide means for transferring the cattle from the car of one train to the car of the train on a side track, I disconnect the door from itshanger, slide the hanger to one side, and then lower the upper end of the door, the hooks 18 engaging the notches 19 in the sill of the doorway, thus preventing the door when used as a gang-plank from slipping off of said sill.

In order to insure the safe transfer of the cattle from one car to another, I provide the door or gang-plank with guard-rails20, which are adapted when not in use to be folded and one overlapped upon the other, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Hooks 21 may be employed for holding the guard-rails in proper position and engage eyes 22, secured to the sides of the guard-rails.

It will be understood that various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a car-door, the combination with a sliding hanger havingahinged frame to which the car-door is removably connected, and guard=rails secured to said door, whereby the door may be lowered and serve as a gangplank, substantially as specified.

. 2. In a car-door, the combination with a slidinghanger havinga hinged frame to which the car-door is removably connected, and hinged guard-rails secured to said door,where= by the door may be lowered and serve as. a gang-plank, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the sills and top piece of the doorway having guideways, and the sill being provided with notches in its upper face, a door-hanger having a sliding engagement in said guideways and having a hinged frame, a door removably connected to the hinged frame, guide-rails hinged to the inner side of the door, hooks secured to the lower edge of the door and adapted to engage the notches in the sill when the door is disconnected from the frame and lowered to form a gang-plank, and hooks for retaining the guard-railsin their elevated position, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- HGSSGS.

ISAAC N. GRAHAM.

Witnesses:

W. P. STANLEY, PETER HARRISON. 

